Un Ciel Bleu
by MelSkyfall
Summary: When Adrien first saw her, he thought there must have been a mistake. What would an angel of the old religions be doing, sitting there on dirtied chairs and tables? There must have been a mistake, no creature so beautiful should be in his line of sight.


There were few prejudices between Ailés and Humans. After all, each species had conducted extensive researches on the other. They knew everything there was to know if they bothered going to the proper scientific websites or archives at libraries.

Of course, there was always the false information passed from mouth to mouth. There were also fanatics. Not mentioning those that knew but simply didn't understand the knowledge they held. The ones against the merfolk could be understandable, considering they drowned people and sunk ships. All this with nothing known about them.

As a child, Marinette did not understand why people flinched whenever her wing were out, even some Ailés. They didn't seem to mind their existence when her Human jacket was over them, even with more than half of them still poking out under.

She realised later in life that it was the slim restraint around her wings, easy to rip out of, that gave them a sliver of comfort. A safe feeling against someone more powerful than them, even when her blood hummed and crackled with her emotions.

It did not help that her mother's teaching had been careful to make her strong. Chloé's albino hummingbird wings were nothing compared to her powerful raven ones, even if their blood was equal in strength.

With the realisation, Marinette humoured the people around her. It wasn't much worse than keeping them politely tucked behind her back, if not a little tighter than comfortable. It wasn't like she could make them retreat into her skin around the people she grew up with.

Then Adrien had come along.

His blood hummed. No surprise there for Marinette, especially when she realised he was the only son of Émilie and Gabriel Agreste.

No, what had rattled her through the bones was from how far she could feel it. Feel the power rolling off of him in waves, slowly being grown into but full of so much untapped potential. He was spilling it all off like an overflowing sink. Chloé threw herself at him the second he set foot inside the school, not at all bothered with what should be knocking her over. Though Marinette could see the girl's wings in an indulgent splay of submission, recognising a being much stronger.

Chloé never submitted to anyone; not with her body and most certainly not with her wings. Marinette should know, what with how they had practically grown up side by side. Not on the best of turns of course, but you could still call them childhood friends.

Or frenemies.

She knew about Chloé's struggles with her muddy blood more than anyone would expect. It was sad to see what the Major's daughter had become, though no one could hold it against her when they knew of her life.

Marinette realised something there, watching the new Ailé, feeling herself sitting straighter while others' knees buckled. It did not matter who they were, only that they were the same. A pure raptor, a mixed raven, and a muddied hummingbird. There was a feeling, deep in her belly, that they would need each other more often than she would rather happening.

Her thoughts stayed in the clouds as the new friend she had made, Alya, continued to chatter away in her ears.

They flew out of the window when she found the one and only Adrien Agreste sticking gum onto her seat.

When Adrien first saw her, he thought there must have been a mistake. What would an angel of the old religions be doing, sitting there on dirtied chairs and tables? There must have been a mistake, no creature so beautiful should be in his line of sight.

He hadn't noticed her at first, assaulted with the flurry of yellow colours and white feathers that were Chloé Bourgeois. There was also the constant stream of "oh Icarus, holy shit, how am I here," going through his mind.

He had known escaping his father's clutches would come with a certain liberating feeling, but it was so much more than he had expected.

There was a giddiness in the pit of his stomach at the newfound freedom and seeing Chloé. She was acting much like a fledgling, wings fluttering and rippling. They seemed to constantly shift between curling down or around him, trying to decide whether to be affectionate or submissive. He was aware that his nervousness would have made it all flow like a river and crackle like a fire, unchecked.

But with all and all, he noticed her. He saw midnight hair with blue and purple lights. There was a short time where he caught pale and piercing eyes, though not as icy as Chloé's or his father's. She resembled little what the old texts showed of angels (all male too), yet he found himself convinced.

It was the ethereal aura around her, the magnetism in her body, and the warmth in what glimpse he saw of her eyes. He found time to gaze at her between the attention Chloé was giving him. Adrien caught when her pensive thoughts went much more grave, watching the shift in her entire posture. Most of it was still hidden behind the table, chairs, and her friend at her side though.

One thing he could think, as he was whisked away, was how /she carried the world on her shoulder and made it look like a pair of wings/.

His thoughts wouldn't leave him alone as he was pushed and shoved around. The oldest and best friend he had was full of enthusiasm, though he would have scolded her meaner comments if his thoughts were much more present in the moment. There was the traitorous one wondering if they would share a class or two.

Then everything blew up in his face and realised that, perhaps, those shoulders were dragged down by actual wings.

The sky was blue.

The sky was always a shade of blue.

Whether if it was sunset or sunrise, the sky would still be a variant of the same colour. The sun would give it hints of warm colours, and nights could look purple, but it all came down to blue. In another world, it could have been completely different, but in this one it was beautiful.

_Je veux voler sous un ciel tellement bleu et clair qu'on se sentirait perdu._

I want to fly under a sky so blue and clear that we would feel lost.

You could argue that the sky was not endless. Planet Earth was big, but not so big it was something to crow about, and roughly sphere shaped. Not a flat surface without an end in sight, continuing into many different lands. There might not have been a specific stopping point, but the sky had a limit.

Logically, Marinette knew this, but while flying? There were no limits, only the world at her feet and the cold air, her lungs burning with exertion and lack of oxygen. You could believe the universe was solely yours when spreading wings wide open. One of Marinette's favourite things to do was glide over the wind currents, feathers flared to keep her weight from making them sink.

A smile came over her face at the peaceful thoughts containing the colour too much. The raven didn't even waver when she accidentally flew through a heavy grey cloud. She came back out damp, though her clothes should dry off soon. It was only mid Septembre after all and Paris was not London. Dark and cloudy skies were not a thing to be seen too often over their beloved city.

A giggle built in her chest, bubbling up to her mouth gradually. She was happy her flight was a simple glide or the wind would have felt like a whip.

"My favourite thing-"

Marinette jumped out of her skin, freezing as her wings brushed another pair's feathers in surprise.

It proved to be a horrible move when her wings stopped supporting her in the air and she plummeted down a few metres. Eyes wide and mind derailing, she furiously beat her wings to stay in place a few feet under the Ailé that was no other than Adrien Agreste.

Allowing the incredulous thoughts to last a few more seconds, she beat her wings to push up and back to Adrien's level.

He smiled back at Marinette's face, mood not even dampened at the scowl on her own lips. If they had been any closer to a roof, she would have become a nice and flat crêpe topped with feathers. In other words, a lovely thought compared to talking with Adrien Agreste.

His smile widened when she took the air next to him, a solid few centimetres apart.

"My favourite thing," he started once more, "is to slowly glide upside down on the currents. It can be a little hard to figure out, but if you can get used to it, it can be quite relaxing."

Dumb eagles and their dumb tricks.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she tried not to grouse, though this failed miserably when her eyes caught a glimpse of his expression. It was a strained smile, the falseness of it all too obvious. You would think a model had certain talents with hiding feelings behind a convincing smile.

She was too in tune with the hum of his blood. The thought irked her as much as it warmed her own power.

"How do you feel when you're flying?"

Her blood had a tendency to run rampart when she flew, compared to her mother's. For her, flying was as though she had finally found a strong centre. Marinette got all the pent up energy skyrocketed through her body and all around her.

The idle thought of how it felt for Adrien came to her mind.

Marinette didn't understand why she answered his query. "Empowered. Free. Released." She turned her head to look at him straight into the eyes, the answer clear in expression. He must have read it right for he was soon answering the silent question back.

"I spent a lot of my childhood scared of falling. It was normal for fledglings, like the ones eager to jump off we have to save last minute. It was worse after my mother's death, but now there is a sense of peace to the entire thing."

He said all of this with such ease, as though falling was not an Ailé's biggest fear. Though it usually faded with age and experience, there was always that innate fear of crashing to the ground.

There was the joke made, like Marinette had to herself moments prior, when you knew you could catch yourself. She might have joked about crashing, but it was not quite the same as falling. Usually you fell because your feathers were clipped and someone threw you off something.

The stories of Émilie Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois were a tragedy that installed fear in too many Ailés to count. It would last for decades to come.

The responsible individuals were never discovered.

"It does help take the edge off," she offered, unsure of the path to go into. He had not exactly brought it up, so she couldn't offer an apology or condolences. "Though personally, it takes me a while before everything bubbling to the surface settles down. What about you?"

Adrien gave a soft laugh, a smile tugging the corner of his lips. "I fly around a lot, even if without my father's knowledge. The Agrestes and Elytas played too big of a role in our rights for me to bind and hide away my wings and lineage. It is not what my mother would have wanted for me."

Marinette hummed, unsure still on how she should respond. She did not know the other Ailé well enough to offer meaningful words of comfort. He did not seem particularly upset, but she refused to fall for that. Cuts like those did not scab over so neatly when cut into. The smooth surface should have a messy but sharp scar instead of simple acceptance.

Then again, could anyone blame him for accepting what had gone down? The world was cruel after all, and it would be understandable if his brain had shoved more sensitive moments away.

"That's nice. My maman is always encouraging me to fly with her more." Marinette bit her lip when she realised how insensitive it would sound to the one who lost his own mother. She decided to elaborate, "but she is a little too slow for me, you know? She flies to calm down, while I need to make the pent up energy explode until it settles."

He gave her a little laugh, spilling out of his mouth easily. "I like to think I'm a mix of those two. It depends on how my day went."

She nodded, turning to look ahead once more. She had long since then shed the overwhelming feeling of the day before he popped up, content with gliding. Her blood was at a low hum she could be happy with, steady and not crackling to life like it was earlier.

It had almost given her feather a heart attack when she walked into the kitchen all pent up. Sabine Cheng's expression said it all when she ate an apple and went for a furious flight. A few humans ducked when she dove out of the landing pad.

Really, she had grown up with that distance and had not crashed into a Human while diving or landing since elementary. So she didn't understand the reflex. They'd all had learned the signs of an Ailé looking to land as well to give wide enough berths.

Humans were odd creatures.

They continued flying for a while in nice silence. A brief rest was taken on a public landing pad, Adrien's wings starting to tire, when the sun was well up high. The distances they could fly were not as much as that of a raven. He gave her a rueful smile when noticing she started smirking. She might not be the fasted out there, but she could very well beat an eagle distance wise in flight.

This was when they started chatting of little things, amicable. There would be silent pauses where neither would say anything for periods of time before the light chatter restarted. An uncomfortable moment was when their original misunderstanding came up.

Adrien repeated what she had heard on his first day of public school, though while their feelings were clear. Twin embarrassed blushes stained their cheeks. It was a conversation less than lovely, but much needed. Things were admitted to the other than none would dare tell anyone else.

Marinette wished this would not end like one of those relationships. The ones where you shared your inner most thoughts and feelings to each other only to drift away, never to see one another again. The everlasting warmth on her cheeks made the hope bubble up.

Was this the starting of a crush?

She couldn't quite say, but the butterflies growing in her stomach were a telltale sign.

Neither of the two teenagers had accounted for the rain. It was a slow drizzle, pearling onto their hair and feathers during their break. It registered when one fell on the tip of Marinette's nose. She blinked once, stunned, staring at the laugh Adrien was trying to hide at her expression.

She noted, not for the first time that morning, how green his eyes were. Comparing them to gemstones would be too cliché and unrealistic, but they were close enough. A shade brighter than grasslands would work.

A few choice feathers at the top of his wings started to darken, looking more like their dusty flight feathers. Really, such a golden colour should not have been possible without some serious dye.

"What kind of bird are you again?" The question came suddenly from her lips. She was trying not to linger on the tiny blush on the boy's skin. It was too lovely for her to handle.

"Tawny Eagle, though my plumage is close to that of a baby's. What about you? I assumed a raven. The curved feathers, along with the blue and purple shine gave it away." He looked a little sheepish there, though Marinette could not understand why. "Not even mentioning the huge wingspan for someone your size."

"Payed a lot of attention to my wings, have you now?" The giggle she gave when his blush deepened was purely to hide her own feelings.

"They're very interesting," he smiled, rueful. "There was a point where my entire search history was about different species. It was so fascinating to me. Still is, to be honest."

"I was like that for a few days at one point as well," she hummed back as they made their way to the nearest landing pad. Taking flight in the middle of such a crowd would be pretty crazy. Had they wandered so far from the last one?" So few Ailés to observe in Paris."

"Agreed," came his answer, a flash of light was noticed from the corner of her eyes. They both jumped when a menacing rumble filled the sky.

They looked at each other before looking around wildly for free spots.

Another quick look when they were found, both sprinted to to their individual finds. Neither actually needed to run for proper flight, but there was a certain feeling filling up their chests that they could not explain. It could only be helped with a run, blooming wide open, not unlike a maturing lotus would.

They took off with seconds apart, laughing when people screamed. Quite a few children gave delighted squeals at the sight they were offered. Gushes of winds made the hats of those standing a hair too close fly away.

A breathless laugh escaped her lips when others took their lead and furiously flew off to shelter instead of running. None of them wanted to be stuck in the upcoming rainstorm. Adrien swooped right under her when she made a playful loop. He was most likely not going as fast as he could so she could keep up.

It was a thought that did not bother her.

A laugh reached her ears from below, hard to hear with the wind rushing around them. The elated smile on her face could match it well, she believed. She dove closer to the ground, Adrien soon following, when the sparingly falling rain became too strong higher up in the air.

Debating for just a little, she landed on her balcony instead of the landing pad, Adrien hovering close in the air. The trick was to fold your wings in tightly as you pass the rail so feathers didn't make all her plants tumble.

She sat on the chair under the shade sail to give him some space. A few pots wobbled in a dangerous manner when he settled, but they would be fine.

Getting up and climbing over the railing, she looked back at his face. He had proven he didn't mind jumping off places earlier, but Marinette still wanted to retain an ounce of carefulness. Without much thought, she jumped down the small floor between the top of her room to the landing deck.

Looking back up, she called up to Adrien, "think you can do it?"

"Please," came the answer down to her, "that's nothing for someone twice your size. Your landing pad is regular size, right?"

"Yep, you should fit!"

Marinette watched him jump down from the inside, offhandedly mentioning to her mother in the room that they had a last minute guest. The windows shook a little with the force of his flaps, but he managed to fit nicely on it. Perhaps she would make it go longer if he was going to become a more regular guest.

She, kind of, had just wanted to see how he would do.

There was an odd feeling Marinette could not quite pinpoint when she got stuck giving him an umbrella to head home with. No one enjoyed soaked feathers after all.

Marinette had come into the school grounds rather grumpy. It was a sight Adrien had seen in the past, on harder mornings and during their original big misunderstanding. After moments of serious debate, he had gently brought his hands to the wings. He started grooming them once she didn't say anything about it.

His fingers ran through her feathers, smooth and rustling like the fine silks he knew well. It could not be heard as well during their flight, loud winds beating sensitive eardrums. His heart swelled with the trust the girl must have been giving him to unruffled her base feathers. In public, of all places. She had been irritated all morning.

The odd feeling grew further in his chest when Marinette gave a settled little sigh. He bit his lip, allowing thumbs to rub the wing's base under her shirt for a little.

A happy little noise escaped her lips and Adrien's skin /burned/.

He'd always had warm hands, but they seemed to be on fire in that small window of time. The heat of strangers' gazes could be ignored oh so easily when he had her practically turning to putty in his hands.

Long pianist fingers worked through the offending tangles. He hesitated just a little before pressing a few fingers to small oil glands, making sure to steer far from the larger primary ones. Her wings rippled a little at the tension but Marinette did not speak up, so the teenage boy took it as a good sign.

The fresh iridescent sheen on the few feathers he had worked through was absolutely delightful. A giddy feeling made Adrien's stomach tumble.

He continued his work with single minded focus. How far they were from the bell spoke volumes about how Marinette must have been feeling.

His brow furrowed when he came across a damaged feather. It must have been what made her so uncomfortable.

"Do you mind if I pluck this one out?" He asked, fingers rubbing the skin around the base. It would be less painful if the muscle under it was nicely loose and relaxed as well.

"Go for it," she mumbled, head bowing. Her shoulders tensed enough to be noticeable, though it was good she made an effort at keeping the wings relaxed. "It'll feel better after anyway."

Marinette took a deep breath as he counted down from three, wrapping fingers are the offending feather. A tiny wince was barely visible when it was pulled out, Adrien's eyes catching the skin going red. He let it fall to the floor as he soothed the area, free hand petting the arc of the same wing.

Her entire being relaxed once more when he went back to untangling, much to his delight. The more early rising students were trickling in, looking for some peace and quiet before the hustle and bustle of classes started. They received quite a few looks, Adrien noticed during the short lapses of time his attention went to what was going on around them. Most seemed to be relying on caffeine instead of sleep hours anyway.

His fingers were allowed to keep carding through the feathers for a long, long time after the ruffles were all smoothed out. There was little hesitation in taking a little more than strictly necessary oil. At least the iridescent glow was much brighter than it usually would be. He wondered how extreme her night of homework and designing must have been to get her wings in such a state.

"You shouldn't put your jacket on for the day," Adrien started, testing the skies. He was painfully aware of the raven's dislike about letting her wings out in such a public space, though not her reasons. "I might have used a little too much oil and I'm not sure how it would affect your jacket."

She must have been too out of it to think much of her positive response, reaching out for said jacket on the table in front of them. In a way that seemed automatic she tucked the sleeves away in a few folds.

Soon a successful pillow was what Marinette proceeded to fall asleep right onto.

Adrien would not lie and say he wasn't incredulous for a good minute. He only pulled up a chair and sat beside her when a self conscious feeling made itself known.

If someone were to ask, he would completely deny having watched Marinette nap. There was something enthralling about watching the Ailée sleep, peaceful and dead to the world, that could not be beaten.

He could understand, if just a little, how all those creepy stares in bad American movies had been romanticised. They were still creepy and made him grimace, unpleasant, though.

It was not long before his stomach started growling, sun long risen over the Parisian rooftops. He tapped his phone open before squinting, turning the brightness down. A bright 7:53 glared up at him. No wonder the courtyard was starting to get crowded. It dawned on Adrien that he had spent the better part of his morning with Marinette.

His thoughts started to wonder again before another rumble from his stomach brought him back to the present. He smiled innocently at the kid a few chairs down glaring at him because of the offending sound.

Fingers crossed, he hoped for Alya to take over watching her best friend so he could run down to the bakery and grab food. There were no Marinettes running late with last minute sweets to feed him that morning. Adrien was not very inclined to starve until récré.

At the same time, he wished they could stay like so for the better part of an eternity. Not exactly doing something, but existing together. It was a tranquil sliver of time Adrien appreciated.

Adrien perked up when noticing Alya walking up to them. He gave a sigh and smiled a little up at his fellow classmate. Her expression was a mix of confused and incredulousness.

"Would you mind watching her? Bad morning with her wings," he elaborated when she gave him another odd look. "I want to grab a few snacks at the Dupain-Cheng's."

"Oh-kay?"

Her response was more of a question than an answer but Adrien would take it. He gave her a radiant smile before planting two quick bises on her cheeks. She gave them back, but it was more out of habit than really returning them.

Deciding for a light jog, his journey to the Bakery was quick enough for him not to get impatient. A little knot formed in his stomach at the exercise awfully quick, though it was quickly dismissed. There had been no stretching or food since he had woken up. The little he picked around from his plate at home didn't count.

He took a deep breath a few steps away from the entrance, not wanting to appear out of breath. The loud grumble his stomach gave again was embarrassing. There was a trickle of people walking in and out, morning rush steadily going by with a light chatter heard inside.

The little bell over the door chimes at his entrance, making Sabine look up from the customer she was assisting. She pointed him to the back, at Tom's back, without more attention than a warm smile he gave back, grateful. Hopefully she would be free for a proper goodbye when he left.

"Ah, Adrien!" Tom exclaimed, setting down the freshly made bread he had pulled out of the oven. The Human clapped his shoulder and leaned impossibly low to give him the bise. When he had first done so, Adrien was mildly terrified of the big man. "Good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Dupain," he said with a smile.

"It's Tom, my boy, you know this by now," came the gentle scold. It wasn't to say that Adrien forgot to call him by his first name on purpose. Growing up a golden child instilled a certain level of politeness in him and if it wasn't for Chloé he'd do the same with people his age.

The warm smile on his face took a more sheepish edge.

"I know, I know, it slips my mind too easily. I wouldn't want to call you different things inconsistently; it'd be rude."

Tom only patted his shoulder again, giving yet another smile with a laugh. "I assume you're here for something to eat, heh?"

A flush spread on his cheeks when his belly growled at the mention of food. He had hoped it would only happen again, at the very least, when he was faced with what they would have that morning. He nodded.

Tom only chuckled and reached to the side for a box. It was on one of the warm pieces of wood the bakery used sometimes to warm things up. "They might be a little warmer than usual, considering you're getting them early. Try and not make a mess at school."

"Thank you, Mr. Dupain," he said, resisting the urge to peek into the box. The temptation to snatch something up then would be too much. They both leaned in again for a quick bise when Adrien checks the time on his phone. "Us starving students appreciate it."

"It's no problem my boy."

Hurrying into the general public space of the bakery, Adrien weaved through customers to Sabine. He surprised her with an actual kiss on the cheek as a goodbye.

"Thank you for being such a wonderful person Mrs. Cheng!"

She smiled at him fondly, giving Adrien a quick mental image of his own mother.

"Oh, off you go! Make sure Marinette and your friends eat something. You're all always starving and lucky you don't gain weight with so many sweets."

He waved halfway through the door. "We have to take advantage of still being able to do that! Thank you again Mr. and Mrs. Dupain and Cheng!"

Holding his precious package, stomach tumbling at the whiffs of smells he got from it, he made his way back to the school. Mouths to feed, after all. His Lady's most of all, if you don't count his own as well.

Coming back to his three new friends chattering, Adrien couldn't help the smile that split his face. There was a warmth in his chest at seeing his makeshift little family. Even Chloé had been hovering close and he knew a patisserie would be snatched when she thought no one was looking.

There was no shame in his watching Marinette's wings this time around. His heart fluttered in a way that would make fairy tale princesses jealous when he noted the lightness in them.

They were no longer burdened by the unknown weight of what had bothered her on his first day of school. This made him oh so giddy.

She tended to tuck her wings a little too tight at times during the day, used to the restraint around them. He beamed when he saw her sunning them a few times throughout the day, admiring the bright pink blush when she caught him in return. His blood was happily humming during the entire day, making a few students look at him oddly.

With a lotus slowly blooming in his chest, Adrien Agreste was happy.


End file.
